“Since her death in 1979, the woman who discovered what the universe is made of has not so much as received a memorial plaque. Her newspaper obituaries do not mention her greatest discovery. […] Every high school student knows that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, that Charles Darwin discovered evolution, and that Albert Einstein discovered the relativity of time. But when it comes to the composition of our universe, the textbooks simply say that the most abundant atom in the universe is hydrogen. And no one ever wonders how we know.”

Cecilia Payne’s mother refused to spend money on her college education, so she won a scholarship to Cambridge.

Cecilia Payne completed her studies, but Cambridge wouldn’t give her a degree because she was a woman, so she said fuck that and moved to the United States to work at Harvard.

Cecilia Payne was the first person ever to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy from Radcliffe College, with what Otto Strauve called “the most brilliant Ph.D. thesis ever written in astronomy.”

Not only did Cecilia Payne discover what the universe is made of, she also discovered what the sun is made of (Henry Norris Russell, a fellow astronomer, is usually given credit for discovering that the sun’s composition is different from the Earth’s, but he came to his conclusions four years later than Payne—after telling her not to publish).

Cecilia Payne is the reason we know basically anything about variable stars (stars whose brightness as seen from earth fluctuates). Literally every other study on variable stars is based on her work.

Cecilia Payne was the first woman to be promoted to full professor from within Harvard, and is often credited with breaking the glass ceiling for women in the Harvard science department and in astronomy, as well as inspiring entire generations of women to take up science.

Have a look at this colorful penthouse envisioned by Yasemin Arpac & Sabahattin Emir of Ofsit Studio and situated in the heart of Istanbul! The location of Karakoy Loft, as well as the personality, way of living and needs of the client (a 45-year-old bachelor) were the main parameters in the design of this project.

The structural approach of the house was to open up to get more light and view. The previous small window openings on the front façade were enlarged and the new folding window frames slide the width of the building to transform the living room into a balcony, since the apartment is missing one. And a large rectangular skylight was inserted just below the peak of the pitch to provide light and view to the mezzanine.One of the longitudinal walls was resolved as storage. A very simple system was designed with iron rods climbing two floors and running the length of the house, without categorizing it as living room, kitchen, library or bedroom. 12mm iron rods coming out of the wall and 16mm rods connected to them create a 60x60cm grid over the wall surface. Various shelving units and accessories were designed to fit this system, such as a single shelf, double or triple story shelves, vertical separators or hanging units. The user may arrange and utilize this storing system however he likes; as a library, a woodshed, kitchen storage, or a wardrobe.

The cast-concrete block surface which was created to form the kitchen counter framed in an iron structure, steps down into a cantilevering dining table and ends up as a short plinth as the hearth, which allows extra seating around the table.[Photos and information provided via e-mail by Ofsit]

From the architect. Located in central Mumbai, our client builds a 6 story building, 2 for each apartment, we simultaneously perform 3 interior design projects for 3 different clients, all from the same family; parents, (an older couple) and 2 families of young couples with children, each with different needs and personalities, this is how we address the same space with different distributions, each had a different reason on which interiors are designed, a concept far from typical housing in India, a space for living inside, contrasting with its urban context, with its social environment.

Specifically in the SDM apartment, after a talk with each member of the family, we got a well defined program based on the customs of each user and each space, the staircase located at the center of the apartment. It was designed as a sculpture in the space with more light and natural ventilation; with very subtle lines but protagonist of the space, it can be seen almost from anywhere in the public areas, it becomes the articulator of spaces and is replicated in other architectural elements such as blinds and ceiling; every space, every detail meets a special character of the users, every color, every picture, every kitchen utensil, every linen was specifically chosen to complete this project and to make it unique.

The pooja room or prayer room was the subject of a major investigation that is expressed in each element, color and lighting, the carving work for the board is a real craft, integrating these elements in a contemporary way was our way to achieve a space for contemplation, spiritual communion, peace and harmony.

Each bedroom has a different atmosphere and they have been specially furnished with pieces selected from the furniture fair in Milan, we can see a wide variety of exclusive designs, artwork, rugs and tapestries, mosaics applications, arabescato marble and walnut wood contrasting with the white of the general area.

The bedroom is a place where the ceiling is an important element and which subtly illuminates the area, the movement generated in it responds to the frame beams that form the structure, ie, we have taken advantage of the space between beams to gain the maximum possible height.

The kitchen as element for family reunion has been designed on simple lines which together with the materials create a serene and elegant atmosphere.

UPDATE: Also added a video of Anna-Maria in concert.
This is a video of polyphonic singer Anna-Maria Hefele demonstrating her ability to sing high and low notes at the same time, producing sounds not unlike the ones you hear in your head after huffing nitrous. Does Anna-Maria remind anybody else of Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite, or is that just me? Come on, somebody validate me. "Yes, she does." No, I meant like, tell me I'm handsome or something, I've been feeling pretty low lately.
Keep going for the worthwhile video, but feel free to skip around. Also, not to brag or anything. But I've sung two separate notes at the same time before. "Burping and farting simultaneously doesn't count." WELL IT SHOULD.

From the architect. The city is required the concept of urban regeneration which renews the abandoned and polluted environment. The current concept of urban regeneration is well used as the strategies of new town development. It has the meaning of creating rehabilitation and revival of urban environment, industry, economy, and the culture by providing new programs and physical architectural environments to the decaying existing cities. Rather than simple architectural esthetic controls, new composition of circulation system, which induces new transformation of environment, is required. It has been developed in the direction of cultural device and the community of governance concept to improve the quality of city dwellers’ life.

Seongdong Cultural & Welfare Center is a crucial issue because it is not a simple concept of creating government office. It provides the governance concept of cultural & welfare center. The welfare center is provided in the center of the poorest factory district in Seongsudong, and this cultural & welfare center functions as the headquarters which changes the city. If the function of government office is mainly administration, the architecture of governance concept is like the seed of role which changes the city and society.

Seongdong Cultural & Welfare Center also performs as the role of rearrangement and helps the inhabitants’ life in the factory district. It was interesting premise that the city and society can be changed through architecture. And Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, Kunsthaus Graz, Tate Modern in London, Laban Centre, and Will Alsop’s Peckham Library are the examples. It has been strewn like the seeds in the slum area and functions as a successful architectural device which changes the neighboring society.

Architecture as a public plaza

(Public Space as Public Plaza)

The architecture, breaking away from the concept of government office which creates exclusiveness and distances, is suggested. A Cultural & Welfare Center is suggested as open three-dimensional plaza by planning different elements, interests, and impressive programs which contain culture. It becomes an open architectural place which accommodates changing culture and welfare at the same time. It became the citizenry’s favorite place, and it is also the main place for welfare and its benefit. And it is the open public architecture. A pivot of civil activity, cultural, and informative events, is suggested.

Architecture as a set of green and urban structure

(Public Space as City Structure & Green Structure)

The urban structure provides horizontal, vertical, and three-dimensional plaza in the building by actively accommodating horizontal streets and plaza. And the architecture, which integrates the urban structure, is suggested. A living welfare & culture center is proposed by adding diverse elements, interests, and impressive programs. Also Moving circulation devices, movement contents, and cultural contents actively accommodate new senses of citizenry. And futuristic and experimental changes have been suggested. Not only the structures constructed by buildings, but also the green elements which are necessary in the city have been included in the urban structure. And it functions as a device for approaching the richness and emotional stability.

From the architect. Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist Temple is the oldest and only Thai Buddhist Temple in Singapore that receives royal patronage from the Thai Royal Family . With its long monastic tradition of ordaining monks, the temple will celebrate its 90th anniversary since its inauguration by expanding its current facilities by adding a new block next to its existing historic Main Shrine. The new commemorative structure will have to replace the current 3 storey Monks Quarters and will need double its current 600 sq.m built in floor area. The program for the extension block not only calls for more monks quarters, it would include additional prayer halls, meditation centres , Dharma classrooms, a Museum and an large space for communal festivities during key dates in the Buddhist calendar.

Site Context

Located on the small plot of land on top of a hill site, the temple, with its golden roof and soaring stupas is a distinctive icon, visible from its northern and eastern low lying neighbourhood . The temple back against a high way on its west side while its south side faces a strip lush vegetation on a vacant plot of State land.

Design Approach

At the onset of the project , the Client has specifically requested that the temple extension should aspire to not to follow the architectural traditions of Thai temples but rather be a “reflection “ of it. The design for the extension block is developed from the narrative of the Buddha attaining his Enlightenment while meditating under a Boddhi tree. Conceptually, the Boddhi Tree can be considered as the original House of the Buddha and the idea of a tree as a one that shelters, protects and nurtures springs forth as a key notion of our proposed threefold architectural strategy. The new structure would also necessarily form a frame that defines boundaries of a space/ form of a void as suggested by common visuals of the Buddha meditating below the Boddhi Tree where the tree is essentially a frame. The void space would also inform the absence of the existing Stupa which would be removed eventually.

Strategy 1 : V -shaped Planning

Taking on a “V” shaped plan that back against the highway, the design of the new building would frame a large front courtyard space that could hold major religious communal festivities. The branching off of either wing of the V shaped plan would accommodate the various program as required on various levels. Systematically, the programmatic requirements would be arranged and distributed in various levels accordance to the notion that traces the growth of a Buddhist based on the following;1. Discovery 2. Learning 3. Meditation4. Sermon/ Discourse

Strategy 2 : Fragmentation and Displacement of Volumes

To emphasize the hierarchy associated with the above , either wing of the new block would comprise staggered arrangement of displaced and sometimes cantilevered boxes that is supported by skewed buttress like columns. Accentuating this volumetric displacement is a play of solidness and transparency applied on the envelope of the volumes. For example, the meditation hall at the 4 th floor is loft space enclosed by openable glass panels that allows maximize natural light and view out to the green terraces beyond. Sky gardens , long planters are also integrated into envelope design of the building to allow “break up “ the building and allow for much greenery. This gives the illusion of an urban “tree” building, one that would offer a visual relief to the residents nearby.

Strategy 3 : Fenestration

Abstraction of light filtering through the gaps between the leaves of the Boddhi tree are necessarily mapped onto the facade to create an organic random pattern of triangular windows. While seemingly random, the position and size of windows are actually tabulated in relation to the degree for natural lighting as required to by the interior space. The constant changing and dramatic of play of light and shadow through these windows can be best experienced in the Prayer Halls , reminding oneself that change and impermanence of life is the only constant.

From the architect. Constitución 8 is a residential apartment building in the city of Puebla, Mexico, located in an area of high growth. It emerges as a real estate development for sale under the premise of making every single apartment unique. The project idea repels the typical plan from its conception under the principle of maximum adaptability, generating 10 different and expressive apartments.

The creation of individual spaces is achieved through the offset in both plan and section. The volumes of the apartments move freely in and out, up and down. The horizontal offsets generate wider spaces in the interiors of the apartments while at the upper level they generate terraces and balconies. The vertical offsets generate double heights in some areas and level changes in others. Making it a characteristic and dynamic project.

Another guiding idea for the project is to integrate it into the context by finding lighting and ventilation in all spaces, integrating interesting views of the city and the surrounding nature. Different areas of leisure and conviviality were generated. A common garden on the ground floor and a panoramic rooftop terrace, achieving to dominate the neighboring landscape.

The building keeps an industrial aesthetic inspired by the design trend of the Loft, achieving open spaces that respond to the contemporary way of living. Exposed materials such as glass, block and partitions were selected for warmth as well as low maintenance cost.

For the interior of the apartments, we designed individually all elements of carpentry (closets and kitchens), lighting (lights and exposed pipes) and fittings (handles and keys). Thus achieving an atmosphere of exclusivity, personalized and distinct.

Constitución 8 becomes a building with a bold and sophisticated design, where elements with a dominant character achieve pleasant spaces.

From the architect. Placed in a residential context, the site is located at a corner and is abutted by roads on two sides. The context didn’t allow for too much interaction, hence the design required us to create a dynamic interaction between the spaces within the house. Transitional areas between the public and private spaces help separate functions and enables intermingling of spatial volumes.

An introverted plan enabled us to have minimalist surfaces on the exterior. As per the client’s requirements, all private spaces were to be on one floor. Public spaces were at the first floor, with services and a car park on the ground level. Owing to the constraints of the small size of the site, it was crucial to maximise spaces allocated to various functions. This was achieved by playing with volumes. A double height living room gave a sense of expanse and it provided a visual connect from the second level. In order to break the monotony of the built versus un-built, a courtyard was introduced on the first level. To compliment the double height volumes on the inside, the courtyard was also made double height and accessible at the second level, thereby internalising it and it acts as an extension of the private spaces. With the introduction of the double height courtyard, the facade appears hollowed out and fitted with a play of planes and materials.

The next challenge was to add functional spaces to the terrace level without adding to the height of the building. A truss roof, which sloped upwards, gives the perception that the roof is diminishing. The terrace has a deck which interacts with the external landscape and acts as a public space for the residents. Use of complimenting materials and surface finishes from the ground level to the terrace; add to the design of the house. Rough concrete finishes contrast with smooth plastered surfaces, wooden panelling in contrast to dressed stone tiles helps balance out the raw minimalist feel of the house.

From the architect. Having received a typical Navajo “home build kit”, the clients, Harold and Helena Skow, had already completed a CMU foundation to accept a traditional rectangular gable-trussed home. Unable to complete the building the Skows turned to students from University of Colorado Denver and DesignBuidlBLUFF. The students decided to utilize the existing foundation and virtually all of the build kit materials stock piled on site in their design.

While walking the site with the clients on their first visit some students took note that Harold wore a large brimmed hat which shielded the harsh sun from his face and neck. When asked about the protective garment Harold commented that everyone should have a sombrero in the desert. Inspired by his comment and resisting the idea of a traditional gable roof house, the team chose to turn the trusses upside down and create a sombrero for Skow’s home.

Programmatically, the 800 sf, two-bedroom home is separated into two volumes. The private volume, containing the bedrooms, is wrapped in highly insulative straw bale construction and is located to the north, providing a sense of comfort surrounded by natural earthen plaster and security from the desert elements. The public volume containing the living room and kitchen/dining room opens up to the southwest, providing spectacular views and a connection to the landscape while allowing direct solar gain, in the winter, through two walls of orientation-specific solar glazing. A large deck wraps the western and southern sides of the home and brings the ‘livable’ space outdoors for much of the year, while an eastern entry porch provides shaded outdoor space to gather during summer afternoon hours.

About the Design Build Program

Since 2010 the University of Colorado Denver has partnered with DesignBuildBLUFF at the University of Utah to design a home for a family living on the Navajo Reservation. Master of Architecture students spend the spring and summer semesters living in Denver designing the home and working on construction drawings. They make frequent visits to Navajo Nation meeting the client, surveying the land and presenting their ideas. After the design is finished students spend the fall semester living in Bluff, UT where they construct the home. Faculty from the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Utah help throughout the year-long program.

Have you ever wanted to take a trip through time to see what animals looked like millions of years ago? When it comes to cats there is little or no need. This beautiful specimen is a Manul, otherwise known as Pallas’s Cat. About twelve million years ago it was one of the first two modern cats to evolve and it hasn’t changed since. The other species, Martelli’s Cat, is extinct so what you are looking at here is a unique window in to the past of modern cats.

Although the Manul is only the size of the domestic cat, reaching about 26 inches in length its appearance makes it appear somewhat larger. It is stocky and has very lengthy, thick fur, which gives it, perhaps to human eyes, an unintentional appearance of feline rotundity. Yet although it appears stout and somewhat ungainly it has a natural elegance and poise – exactly what you would expect from the genus Felis in other words. Plus it can certainly look after itself in a fight!

The main reason for its survival throughout the ages has been its isolation. In the wild it lives on the Asian steppes at substantial heights – up to 13,000 feet. Based in India, Pakistan, western China and Mongolia as well as Afghanistan and Turkemistan, it has even been discovered recently in the wilds of the Sayan region of Siberia. In these places it prefers rocky areas, semidesert and barren hillsides. In other words places where we are less likely to live – but even having said that you will no doubt be able to hazard a guess which species is the Manul’s greatest enemy.

Take a close look at the eyes of the Manul. Do you see a difference between it and the domestic cat? That’s right, the pupils of the Manul are round, not slit-like. Proportionally too, the legs are smaller than cats we know and they can’t run anywhere near as quickly. As for the ears, well, when you actually can catch sight of them they are very low and much further apart than you would see in a domestic cat.

It also has a much shorter face than other cats, which makes its face look flattened. Some people, when they see their first Manus mistakenly believe that it is a monkey because of its facial appearance and bulky looking frame. It is easier to see why, from some angles.

The Manus has not been studied a great deal in the wild, where it is classified as near threatened. This is because it is distributed very patchily throughout its territory, not to mention the fact it is still hunted despite protection orders made by the various governments who create human law in its range. Before it was legally protected tens of thousands of Manuls were hunted and killed each year, mostly for their fur.

It is thought that the cat hunts mostly at dawn and dusk where it will feed on small rodents and birds. Ambush and stalking are their favorite methods of conducting a hunt and although they tend to shelter in abandoned burrows in the day they have been seen basking in the sun. In other words, behaviorally they are much like the domesticated moggy that we know and love.

The Manul is a solitary creature and individuals do not tend to meet purposefully when it is outside the breeding season and will avoid the company of others of its kind where possible. When it is threatened it raises and quivers the upper lip, Elvis like, revealing a large canine tooth.

When breeding does happen the male has to get in quickly as oestrus usually only lasts just under two days. It usually births up to six kittens, very rarely a single one, and it is believed that the size of its litters reflect the high rate of mortality the infant cats can expect. Yet they are expected to be able to hunt at sixteen weeks and are very much on their own and independent by six months. Although their life expectancy in the wild is unknown in captivity they have lived to over eleven years.

Don’t rush to your local pet store, however. The Manul does not domesticate and even if it did they are incredibly hard to breed in captivity with many kittens dying. This is thought to be because in the wild, due to its isolation, the cat’s immune system did not have a need to develop and so when they come in contact with us and other species, this under-developed immune system lets them down.

Yet as a living, breathing glimpse in to twelve million years of feline history these amazing animals are irreplaceable. Unique is a word which, in this day and age, is mightily overused. Yet these cats are quite simply just that – unique.

The 60 Red Chair is giving the phrase “sitting on the edge of your seat” a whole new meaning. Designed by XYZ Integrated Architecture, the sleek red chair is at a perpetual slant, creating a sense of tension for the user. Each chair is handmade from steel, and each one is unique.

The Sycamore House is a project from Aaron Neubert Architects that restores a 1950′s post & beam house in Los Angeles while also incorporating a 1,500-square-foot addition. Careful attention was paid to the design of the new addition as the lot’s peninsular shape and sloping terrain played a huge factor into how it could be laid out. Sycamore trees on the property meant a lot to the homeowner so keeping them around was mandatory, making things difficult as one was planted in the primary location for the addition.

The addition was positioned perpendicularly between the exiting residence and the street setback. The interior living spaces are still kept relatively private, while the home opens up towards the hillside view.

They used multiple cantilevers within the addition that extend out over the hillside giving them the square footage they desired.

One of the beloved sycamore trees is actually incorporated into the house, piercing through the kitchen, family room, master suite, and the roof deck.

Helping blend the old with the new, the existing wood beams and the new steel structure are all painted red and all of the fixed windows are black.

Completely in love with the jagged black and white lines that start in the kitchen and move through the living room.

The large windows help bring the outdoors in and make you feel like you’re perched within the trees.

From the architect. Place in common space It is a housing complex in five story and 13 households that builts like overcrowding the small factory and the house in surroundings. In the situation in which the site was almost enclosed in the building, it was thought that it had not only relies on the surrounding for the dwelling environment but also it made it . A common space plays the role here. The lighting, ventilation ,and view, and the element requested outside is usually taken in construction, and shared with each unit.

A common part is related around according to the number of stories and the direction the accumulated unit that continues from ground to the roof through the stairs and the open ceiling, and choosing the omission on the roof of the road and the near unoccupied land and the neighboring house. The wind comes off through an upper and lower floor, and the light of the sun enters from various directions through a day . Externals are composed of an window that doesn’t distinguish an unit and a common space . A common space in each floor is a place like the interior attached to each unit by a little expanding or more width than a usual passage ,and as a similar scale to the unit.

As for a common space, it thought even about the detail as the same interior as the unit so that the other side of the room window might make depth with a continuous feeling as another whereabouts . The aluminium sash of ready-made goods turns a wooden frame to all sides in flat as the wall for how from the reason for the weather flashing like the outside to see it, and erases the detail as the aluminium sash. Moreover, because a usual intercom gives the impression of the place like the hall, the plate of the same specification as the indoor switch is used .

The table, the bench, and the shelf designed for exclusive use according to the characteristic and the usage of the place are put on the interior. Time is piled by the book and planting’s being put by the living person, and being used in daily life. It wishes a common space not only the tenant but also to tie to the person to person, and the environment to person exceeding the role even if the ambient surrounding changes by rebuilding.

From the architect. The site is located in a residential area on a plateau in Yokohama-city. The characteristic façade is designed with exposed concrete and wooden lattices of Serangan batu wood, taking the horizon into consideration. It is a classic of modern design that is conscious of harmony with the surrounding greens and peaceful townscape. This two-family house successfully creates a dignity and formality that are unique to the residence.

The husband who likes playing golf and the wife who loves gardening desired a garden, which can be seen from the central living room on the first floor, as the center of the house. They also desired a continuation between East and West, and assurance of privacy. The solid teak wood on the ceilings and floors, and the hard expression of the high-strength concrete create a contrast. They provide a sense of unity to the space, along with the natural walnut house fixtures, oak table and chairs.

The space for family of the son, who likes surfing, is placed on the second floor that is connected through the open ceiling, in order to facilitate spontaneous communication between the families. In contrast to the closed exterior appearance, the interior is all airy. Even the dining kitchen at the back of the first floor is well lit by characteristic lights from the high side window in the open ceiling.

The roof balcony is accessible from the second floor bedroom and the children’s room through the opening. The roof terrace with deck-flooring behind the outdoor stairs is a common oasis for the two families, where the surrounding town can be viewed. By tactfully using the wooden lattices and plantings, a perfect sense of distance and privacy are created between the building and the street, while enabling the enjoyment of the appropriate openness. It functions as a well-balanced urban house.

This astounding home located on a half acre lot in Silicon Valley was imagined as a re-interpretation of traditional shapes corrupted by the need to live a comfortable, low maintenance lifestyle in privacy and alongside family and friends. Designed by architects Spiegel Aihara Workshop, the home known as Low/Rise House uses the principles of traditional Californian ranch house and farm tower to create a high life through modern design. Natural ventilation and solar energy use are two of the home’s eco-traits – they mirror the use of volumes, textures and transparency for comfort and connection.

The traditional Californian ranch house and farm tower become a contemporary shelter and socialization spot immersed into the site via environmentally-friendly choices. Photographed by Bruce Damonte, the 4.500 square feet in Menlo Park, California, is home for two professors with grown children who needed their home to “accommodate varying use patterns, creating an intimate environment for their own use as a couple, yet allowing for a spacious and integrated configuration for ten or more family members, and several hundred party guests. This complex programmatic request inspires the specific massing and siting of the building.”

With a poetic ambiance radiating through, the Low/Rise House boasts a first floor shaped by “two long and narrow structures that intersect in an open kitchen, providing distinct programmatic areas and settling into the tree-lined landscape, allowing yards to surround and permeate each room. Subtle rotations of the geometry assist in way-finding, as well as identification of the more public and more private functions. The private master suite opens into a fern garden in the eastern corner of the site, while large sliding glass doors suspend the living room within the landscape for family gatherings or larger events. A compact and vertical guest tower is sited at the western corner of the lot amongst tall evergreens, allowing for a more private guest experience, more compact floor plan, and the ability to effectively shut off (socially and energy-wise) the guest spaces zone by zone during typical daily use. Atop the 30-foot tower, a roof deck emerges through the trees, providing a unique vantage point of the structure below and the surrounding townscape.”

Brilliant dream home integrating a new type of suburban living, merging urban and rural, don’t you think so?

Claire Wyckoff (pretty please be pronounced wackoff) uses the Nike+ run-tracking app to run in penis shapes, which she then posts to her Tumblr 'Running Drawing'. She doesn't JUST do penises though, just a LOT of penises (she's also done a unicorn, middle finger, Slimer from Ghostbusters, and a space invader). Clearly, Claire knows how to make cardio fun. Because if there was a giant penis waiting at the finish line every time I went for a run I'd be a lot more inclined to exercise. Wait, that came out wrong. I meant a giant vagina. No, that's not quite right either. I'll settle for a hotdog and a beer.
Keep going for more of Claire's exercise art.